Emma stirred, causing the bedsheets to slide off her shoulder. She rolled over, tucking herself into Killian's side and laying her head on his chest. Willing herself to go back to sleep, she squeezed her eyes shut. Her brain was still foggy from sleep and all she wanted to do was snuggle into Killian's warmth and drift off again.

Vaguely, the wisps of a dream wandered through her mind and she tensed her forehead, wondering if she could possibly recall the details.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, lifting her head quickly and pressing into Killian's sternum, startling him from sleep.

Wincing, she said, "Oops, sorry," as Killian's eyes popped open, looking at her in surprise. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"S'alright, love," he mumbled sleepily, eyes closing again as he shifted and put his arm behind his head, burrowing into his pillow.

"But…now that you're awake, I have to share with you this dream I just had!" Emma peered at his face, hoping he would open his eyes again.

Killian groaned softly, cracking one eye open to look at her. "Must have been one exciting dream, love," he said, smiling softly.

Emma sat up in bed and began talking animatedly, waving her arms about.

"It was! I could do magic! So, there was this witch, I think she was like an ice queen or something. And she had you trapped and she was going to kill you with a giant icicle!"

Killian opened both eyes then, sitting up a bit and propping a pillow behind his head. He watched her closely, a look of amusement crinkling his eyes.

"An icicle, you say?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Yeah. It was like huge and super sharp and you looked pretty worried. Not like scared, but you were definitely worried, because it was getting closer and closer to impaling you. Anyway, I used my magic to save you by throwing you out of the way, and then I blasted the ice queen! It was so cool!"

She couldn't help but smile at the memory, pride puffing up her chest, even if it was just a dream. It was so clear to her now, it felt as if it had really happened. She looked down at her hands, half expected magic to expel from her palms as it had in the dream. Killian was smirking at her, looking just a tad too smug for her liking.

"What?" she asked in exasperation, throwing him a pointed look.

"I think I know what the dream meant," he said, reaching for her hand and tugging her into a hug. "It's obvious you were jealous of the other woman, and that's why you blasted her. The icicle must have been some strange sort of phallic symbol."

Emma huffed in annoyance. "Oh my God! Are you serious? You are so full of yourself!" she said, grabbing a throw pillow and hitting him in the face. "You would find a way to make this about you!"

Killian chuckled, a deep rumble in his chest that she could feel through her arm. Then he rolled over on top of her, pinning her wrists to the mattress.

"I am not full of myself, darling. I simply have a healthy self esteem and appreciation for my many talents," he answered, eying her hungrily. "Care for me to demonstrate? My talents?" he asked, nuzzling his nose against her neck and rubbing his lips against her skin, tickling her with his scruff.

Suddenly Emma was finding it hard to remember what they had been talking about. When Killian rocked his hips into her, his hardened length hitting her in just the right spot, she gasped. A rush of desire shot straight through her core.

"Mmm," she sighed. "Do you think the kids are still asleep?"

He raised his head, releasing one wrist to move his palm down her side in a caress that set her blood aflame. "I'd say we have thirty minutes or so. Let's put all those passionate jealous feelings to better use, shall we?"

"Bastard," Emma said, before she grabbed his head and crushed her lips against his.

A week went by in a blur, Emma busy with her job as sheriff, and Killian out on the boat all day. She didn't have much time to think about the dream between her job and her duties as a wife and mother. The kids' school projects and extracurricular activities were especially busy this time of year, what with David playing soccer and Mary doing swim team.

After a particularly stressful Wednesday, she collapsed into bed, her head barely hitting the pillow before she was fast asleep.

"Emma! Emma!"

Opening her eyes, she realized Killian was bent over her, his hands gripping her wrists tightly as he looked at her with in a mixture of concern and vexation. Dim light from his bedside lamp was the only thing illuminating the room.

"What? What's the matter?" She looked at her alarm clock - 3:15 a.m.

Sitting back, he blew out a long breath, running his hand through his already sleep-mussed hair.

"You were thrashing all about, love. Nearly blackened my eye with a particularly deadly elbow jab. What in the bloody blazes were you dreaming about?"

Emma sat up, pressing a hand to her forehead. As the sheets felt back, she noted her pajama tank was damp with sweat, her body flush with heat. What had she been dreaming about?

"I was in a cave, and I was a sheriff in my dream, just like here. Except I was wearing this wicked red leather jacket. I was fighting someone or someone was fighting me…or some..thing." She wrinkled her brow in concentration.

Killian waited patiently for her to continue.

Snapping her fingers, she glanced up. "That's it! There was a dragon. I was fighting a fucking dragon! With a sword!"

At this, he raised his eyebrows, a bemused expression crossing his features. "A dragon, was it?"

"Yeah. I kept having to duck behind boulders and whatnot to keep from getting blasted with fire. Anyway, just before you woke me, I threw the sword right into its belly. I think I took care of it," she explained with a satisfied smile. "Sorry about the thrashing. Did I hurt you?" she asked, cupping his cheeks in her hands and examining his face.

Killian captured one hand in his and lowered it from his face, kissing her knuckles.

"I'm fine, love. Now, seeing as you've taken care of the dragon, how about we try and get a few more hours of sleep before the sun makes its return?"

Emma sighed, brushing her hair back over her shoulder.

"Sounds like a plan. I promised David I'd go over his math homework in the morning, too."

They both settled back into bed, pulling the covers up to their armpits. Killian switched the light off, then rolled back towards her, resting his hand lightly on her hip.

She wasn't sure how long she laid there in the darkness, but sleep wouldn't come. Vivid images flashed across her eyelids, images of a ferocious winged beast and fire reflecting off a silver blade. Her heart continued to pound in her chest and her blood was pumping hot, making her wish she had turned the A/C down before coming to bed.

Turning her head, she glanced behind her.

"Killian, are you awake?" she asked in a hoarse whisper.

"Aye. I'm having trouble drifting off again."

She shifted her whole body until she was facing him, reaching out to smooth her hands over his chest. The soft cotton of his tee shirt was smooth under her fingertips. Inserting her leg in between his, she lifted her knee until it just brushed against his manhood.

"I think…I need to release some of this tension. Got any ideas?" she asked coyly.

Killian laughed softly, reaching around to grab her ass and pull her flush against him.

"I have a few ideas," he said, before threading his hand into her hair and pulling her head up to where his mouth was waiting hungrily.

Their lovemaking had a particularly vigorous and carnal quality to it that night, each fighting for power as they wrestled with one another for dominance. When they finally came, it was so bawdy and loud, they collapsed in a fit of giggles, shushing each other and praying that the kids didn't wake up.

Afterwards, sleep came easily, and they curled up naked together, Emma pressing her back into Killian's solid warmth.

Saturday morning, Emma woke up slowly, traces of arousal causing her to moan softly and clench her thighs together. "Mmmm," she sighed, trying to hold on to the delicious sensations that were curling through her stomach, her hand gripping the mattress.

Yawning, she opened her eyes as sounds of running water and humming filled her senses. She could smell the masculine scent of Killian's soap wafting through the air and realized he was already up and in the shower adjoining their bedroom.

She couldn't see him from the bed, but she could hear him singing softly, and visions of rivulets of water running down his body filled her mind. She pictured him with his hands in his dark hair, scrubbing at his scalp as soapy bubbles ran down the sides of his face. It was something she had seen many times, so it wasn't too hard to conjure the image.

Reaching down to her pajama pants, she snuck her fingers beneath the elastic of her waistband and then down further, reaching underneath her underwear and finding her folds. Just as she suspected, she was already slick with moisture, and she pulled her finger up through her crevice slowly. Biting her lip, she considered her options.

Tiptoeing across the room, she shed her clothes quickly, discarding them in a pile on the floor. After stopping to make sure the bedroom door was locked, she made her way into the bathroom. Opening the shower door, she took in Killian's wide-eyed look of surprise. Grinning as she eyed him up and down, she said, "Mind if I join you, sailor?"

Smirking smugly, her pulled her towards him. "Not at all, darling." Running his soapy hands down her back, he looked deeply into her eyes as his hands found her ass, kneading it softly. "You wash my back, I'll wash yours?"

"Mmmhmm. Something like that," she replied, finding his cock and squeezing lightly.

Later, they were in the bedroom getting dressed when Killian addressed her.

"So, not that I'm complaining, but what had you so…inspired this morning?" He added a wink over his shoulder as he buttoned his shirt.

Emma sighed softly. "It was this dream I had. It felt so…real, again. I know I keep saying that, but it's true. Anyway, you were in this one again, and we were in a jungle. You were wearing this pirate getup - all black leather and the rings and earrings. The whole bit. Your eyes were ringed with black eyeliner and you had your shirt unbuttoned practically to your navel. It was…well, you were hot as hell. What can I say?" She smirked at him as she pulled on a pair of shorts.

"Arrrr…a pirate, you say?" Killian moved towards her, catching her hips and pulling her closer. "I guess that's not a far stretch, my being a ship's captain and all. You never told me about this fantasy of yours, though. Perhaps I'll have to find myself a costume," he added, grinning.

Emma chuckled. "Mmm, you do that, Killy bear." Reaching up and wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him soundly, then released him, turning to exit the room.

"Killy bear?" he asked, incredulously. "What sort of pirate is referred to as Killy bear?"

"Jonesy?" she asked, giggling, turning to glance at him behind her shoulder.

As they made their way down the hallway towards the stairs, the doorbell rang.

"Has to be something like Black-Eyed Jack or One-handed Pete…or Hook!" he added enthusiastically, pinching her butt as they reached the landing.

Emma turned, reproaching him with a finger to her lips. "Try to behave yourself while I answer the door, would you?"

Killian only smiled in response, looking completely incorrigible.

She turned the handle, pulling the door open. On the porch stood a lovely brunette, wearing a tailored pantsuit and holding a basket of apples in one hand.

"Hi! Good morning. Sorry to bother you, but I just moved in across the street," she said, gesturing over her shoulder.

"Oh! Hi. We saw the moving van yesterday, I thought we'd let you settle in a bit before we came by to introduce ourselves. I'm Emma, Emma Jones. And this is my husband, Killian," she said, motioning behind her. "Welcome to the neighborhood!"

"Regina. Mills. It's a pleasure," she said with a tight-lipped smile, reaching out her free hand to shake Emma's and then Killian's.

"So, I know it's not the usual thing, but I have something for you, a new neighbor gift, if you will. We had this fabulous apple tree at our old house, and I hated to leave all the apples there, so we picked a bunch before we left. Here, these are for you," she said, giving Emma the basket.

"Oh, wow. Thank you very much! I'm not much of a baker, but I'm sure the kids will love these," she said.

"You have kids?"

"Yes, two. David is ten and Mary is eight."

"How wonderful. I can't wait until they meet my Henry! He's ten years old also."

"Fantastic! That means he'll be in David's class at school, most likely."

"Sounds like it," she said, smiling. "Well, I don't want to keep you, and I do have quite a bit of unpacking to do. It was lovely meeting you both, and I'm sure I'll be seeing you around."

"Yeah. Let us know if you need anything. It was nice of you to stop by. Oh - and thanks for the apples!" Emma added, holding the basket up.

"See you!" Regina said with a casual wave, turning and making her way down the porch steps.

Emma closed the door, walking into the living room. She found David and Mary looking out the picture window.

David turned to her, his brow creasing slightly. "I don't like her," he said stoically.

"What? You don't even know her yet," Emma responded. "And look, she gave us apples!" She held up the basket for him to see.

David continued to look unimpressed. "I don't think we should eat those. Something's not right with that lady. Who wears pantsuits when they're moving?"

Emma looked at him, perplexed, rolling her eyes. "You, kid, have been playing too many video games," she teased, ruffling his sandy blonde hair. Standing behind him, she saw Regina walking up to her house, and noticed a young boy with brown hair waiting for her on the lawn. The boy looked strangely familiar, and a small shiver ran up her spine.

She stared for a few more seconds before shaking her head to break the trance. "Come on, guys, let's have some breakfast."

"Pancakes?" Mary asked excitedly, her dark curls bouncing around her shoulders as she practically jumped up a down.

"Sure, why not."

"I'll make the hot cocoa!" Killian said, turning towards the kitchen.

"Don't forget the whipped cream!" David called.

Emma turned to look out the window one more time, before shrugging her shoulders and heading towards the kitchen. "Don't forget the cinnamon!" she added.